


A Princess and a Traveler

by harmony88



Series: Forever With You: Part 2 [6]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Action, Connects to Past Stories, F/M, Feels, Fluff, Mystery, New Earth, Pregnancy, Romance, Sexual Content, Ten and Rose being adorable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-15 03:08:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29057217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harmony88/pseuds/harmony88
Summary: COMPLETEThe Doctor & Rose are still trying to process that they will be parents, and take a trip to New Earth. A mystery appears, a monster under a child's bed, and they work to solve it, and make some important realizations.You need much more potassium, Rose Tyler.”“Someone eats all the bananas,” she teased, and he glanced up with a smirk.“Most nutrient levels are good,” he said. “Folic acid could be improved.”“You make me sound like a machine,” she said, and he looked at her.“Well, not really, no. An incubator more than a machine,” he teased, and she sat up and threw the pillow at him, and he flashed her a smile.“I’mma smack you,” she said, but her lips were curling and she just rolled her eyes as he smirked again and looked back at the results.
Relationships: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Series: Forever With You: Part 2 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2111892
Comments: 4
Kudos: 127





	1. Absolutely Fantastic

When they both woke up the next morning, there was a moment where they didn’t remember. His eyes fluttered and he stretched a little, and the movement on the mattress stirred her awake too, and she simply yawned and leaned on him. 

But they remembered at the same time, and their eyes locked in shock, and she bit her lip as he smiled at her. 

“Hello,” he whispered. 

“Hello,” she said, and he leaned in to kiss her, brushing his hand across her tummy. It gave her goosebumps and butterflies, and she hummed into the kiss as his thumb rubbed against her skin. “Tickles.”

“Sorry,” he said, smiling against her lips. He stopped his movement but left his thumb there, and she looked at him. 

“I’ll be right back,” she said, and she got up to use the loo while he closed his eyes and looked at the ceiling. 

A baby. 

A being in the universe who will, hopefully, be a whole lot of her and maybe a little bit of him. 

He shook his head at the absurdity of it all. If someone had told him five years ago that this would be happening, he would have laughed. Or passed out. 

He fell in love with her the day he met her. He never, in all his years and infinite wisdom, never would have imagined this. He had that thought quite often, even now, even after everything, there are moments when he looks at her and he’s hit with the realization that she was the thing he never saw coming.

She was this beacon of light that ripped him out of the darkness and reminded him that there is always something worth living for. He smirked to himself, realizing he was about to go down the rabbit hole again of all the ways she’s changed his life. It’s a pattern he’s familiar with by now, one that leaves him speechless and breathless and usually ready to make love to her. And he knew it would be something he’ll never stop doing, even five hundred years from now, because... well...

He was a lost soul and she saved him, and even though they had forever and he _knew_ how meant to be they were, seemingly a fact of the universe by this point, her being pregnant just felt entirely impossible and entirely wonderful and quite terrifying in a way, and when he closed his eyes again, all he saw was her face. 

He felt the mattress shift and she tugged on his shirt, and he looked up to see her give him a small smile, and he smiled back. 

“What?” he asked, and she traced her lips with her tongue. 

“Can I have some more of that medicine?” she asked. 

He leapt from the bed so fast he created a small gust of wind that hit her in the face. She bit her lip and walked to the infirmary, and he looked at her as he passed her a cup. “I’ll start having it ready in the morning.” 

“Okay,” she said. He was eager and adorable and she could tell a little nervous, and she swallowed the liquid quickly, leaning against the doorframe. “You alright?” 

“Oh, yes,” he said, smiling. “I’m just...dazed, Rose.” 

“Me too,” she said, laughing a little. “They’ll be close in age with Tony. That’ll be nice.” 

He stared at her, realizing she had been able to process things much quicker than he had. He was still stuck on how impossible this all felt, and she was planning play dates in her mind. He didn’t realize she could hear him, apparently he had opened his mind and was too distracted to notice, and she smiled and set the cup on the counter, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I’m pretty stuck on the impossible thing, too. Trust me.” 

“Good,” he said, laughing. She hugged him, and he let her sweet honey envelop around him, and he kissed her head. “Breakfast?” 

“Sure,” she said, and they moved to the galley, still smiling like idiots with blushes creeping onto their cheeks, the way they always do when kids are involved, and they realized it was the most awkward they had felt around each other in a very long time. It wasn’t bad, it was a delightful nervous energy that was hovering over them as they processed and tried desperately to be mature and calm, when all they really wanted to do was freak out a little. 

Rose decided they both needed that. 

She was eating an omelette and staring at him, when she set her fork down and just shook her head. “I’m pregnant.” 

He glanced up, and saw the way her brow was creasing in shock and the amused look on her face, and it made him smile. 

“Yeah,” he said, and he watched as she shook her head and started to laugh. “You alright?” 

“I’m fine! I’m great! I’m just...pregnant!” she said, and she started to laugh harder, and it was infectious as always and he started to laugh, too, his own omelette forgotten about for a moment. “I couldn’t exactly process it fully yesterday.” 

“It’s what you want, though?” he said seriously. It was the second time he had asked her that, and she just sighed. 

“Yes,” she said, squeezing his hand. “Can we just both agree that it’s absolutely mad?” 

“I had that same thought this morning,” he murmured, and she took another bite of her food, their eyes dancing with each other. “Mad, impossible, wonderful, insane, terrifying...All those things.” 

“Fantastic?” she asked softly, and he felt his throat tighten. 

“Absolutely fantastic,” he whispered, and he leaned over the counter to kiss her. “Eat your eggs.” 

“Yes sir,” she said with a wink, and he hummed happily as he took a bite too, and the nervous energy was replaced with flirty banter. 

“If I eat these eggs can I have another milkshake?” she asked, and he gave her a small smile as their eyes danced. 

“Flavor?” he asked, flirting. 

“Banana,” she said, her deductive face etched onto her features, and he flashed his back before he wiped his hands on his lounge pants, causing her to give him a look and he laughed. 

“Coming right up,” he said with a wink, and she bit her lip when he set down two cups a few minutes later, apparently unable to resist indulging in one himself this time. “You never drank milkshakes before.” 

“That’s not true,” she said, almost sounding offended. He burst out laughing as he sipped his, and she laughed too, and they held hands. When they slurped their drinks away, she rested her chin in her palm and he took a deep breath. 

“I...I’d like to run some more tests before we go anywhere,” he said. She just squished her cheek in her hand and nodded, and the next thing she knew she was sitting on that metal bed again, and his head was between her legs as he suddenly became much more ‘doctor’ than ‘husband’. She had no idea why she was so embarrassed, he had certainly seen it all before but this just felt different, and when she looked down and saw how _focused_ he was she couldn’t stop laughing. He just sighed. 

“Will you hold still?” he asked, and she laughed harder, and to break the tension she felt she made some saucy comment about him using his fingers the wrong way. 

He gawked at her, and she flashed him his favorite smile before he proceeded to shock her and dropped his fingers entirely, letting his tongue do the talking. 

She screamed his name. 

“Good, now you’re relaxed,” he said with a smug grin as she caught her breath a few minutes later, and he finished his exam quickly, safely removing her birth control and then moving to a blood sample, wanting to get the results. She watched him, still a little breathless as he threw his gloves in the bin and watched the monitor, and he shook his head. “You need much more potassium, Rose Tyler.” 

“Someone eats all the bananas,” she teased, and he glanced up with a smirk. 

“Most nutrient levels are good,” he said. “Folic acid could be improved.” 

“You make me sound like a machine,” she said, and he looked at her. 

“Well, not really, no. An incubator more than a machine,” he teased, and she sat up and threw the pillow at him, and he flashed her a smile. 

“I’mma smack you,” she said, but her lips were curling and she just rolled her eyes as he smirked again and looked back at the results. 

He performed another ultrasound, just because he wanted to, and he held her hand tightly as he stared at it, still finding it all impossible to comprehend. She took her eyes off the screen and watched him through most it, falling in love with the awe on his face; the way his mouth was hanging open ever so slightly and his eyes were just a smidge bigger than usual; the way his Adam’s apple bobbed when he took it all in; and the way he had to clear his throat before he was able to look at her. 

She said she loved him in Gallifreyan, and he kissed her hands, looking at her adoringly. He said it back. She went to touch his face, when her eyes caught a glimpse of the faint scar around her wrist from that day in Scotland with all that stupid magic, and she looked at it. 

It made her think of the chains with the wolf at the Torchwood estate, also in Scotland she realized, and she wasn’t sure why that thought gripped her so tightly. But the wolves were on her mind again and she fluttered her lips, their happy bubble bursting a little when she remembered that the universe always seems to need them no matter what, and she was thinking. 

He didn’t say anything, but he was thinking too when he saw her rest her hand on her abdomen, and she just shook her head. “Seems…” 

“What?” he murmured, and she sat up, dangling her legs off the table and staring at her feet. 

“Like there is something big coming,” she said. He knew that she meant something much larger than just the small person growing inside of her, and he sat back in his chair. “Instincts.” 

“Yeah,” he said. She just looked at him and she sighed. 

“What happened yesterday...the TARDIS took us there, Doctor. We wouldn’t have been able to do that alone. She’s the reason we figured out how to get forever, too... That was destiny,” she whispered. 

“I know,” he said. He had said that himself, now that he believed in that sort of thing. She just sighed. 

“And then I find out I’m pregnant and we have to stop _wolves._ It’s just, what the Oracle said...” she said, breaking off and he moved to sit beside her, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her to him. 

“I know,” he murmured. 

“And the ‘Darkness’...why can’t people just use their own names?” she groaned, and he bit his cheek, giving her a knowing look. She shook her head. “That’s different,” she said. “I know your name.” 

“That you do,” he said, brushing his thumb against her lip. She was the only person still in existence who did, and he felt his hearts skip a beat. 

“I just…” she said. “I want to keep them safe.” 

Her hand touched her stomach, and he smiled at her. 

“You tend to do the impossible when you want the ones you love safe, Rose Tyler,” he murmured. She chuckled and he kissed the top of her head. “And I’ve been known to be a little daring and impulsive. Do things like burn up suns and defy the laws of the universe.” 

“Couple of troublemakers, we are,” she teased, and he looked at her very seriously, a look of pride that made her heart stop. 

“The Bad Wolf and the Oncoming Storm, Rose. We won’t let anything happen,” he said. His conviction was unlike anything she had ever seen before. She’d seen him be determined and she’d seen him have faith in their plans, and she’d seen how much he believes in her, but she had also seen doubt layered underneath it all. The fear that no matter what he did, he would lose her. She knew it’s why she constantly had to remind him to live in the here and now, and she felt her breath grow shallow when she realized she didn’t have to do that this time. They had forever, and he was helping _her_ remember just how strong they are. 

Marriage. 

“We’ll fight like hell, right?,” she said, and her smile grew a little wider. He pulled her into a hug, the feel of her heartbeat beneath her jumper matching his ring, and he kissed her. 

“I love you,” he said.

“I love you, too.” 

A moment passed where their eyes danced, and he felt a wave of joy wash over him. He knew she sent it, and he smiled at her, stepping off the table to grab the results from her blood test, and dangled it in front of her. “We need to get you some vitamins,” he said with a wink, and she laughed as he led her to the console room, setting the coordinates for New Earth.


	2. The Monster Under the Bed

Turns out, apple grass was on her list of smell aversions at this particular moment. 

She was mortified when she realized it, as she usually loves laying out in the patches overlooking the water of New New York, but the moment they stepped off the TARDIS she felt a wave of nausea hit her, even with the medicine the Doctor had given her, and he pulled her back inside and let her hurl in the ensuite while he held her hair, and then reparked the ship right outside the hospital. 

She kept apologizing, and he kept smiling like an idiot at her, a little guilty that her bouts of sickness were making him happy in a way, knowing what was causing them. She kissed his shoulder and held his hand as they approached the glass doors, him back in his pinstripes and her in jeans and a t-shirt, and they both stopped walking when they saw cats in green robes milling about, and the Doctor sniffed. 

“Another sisterhood…” he muttered. He scanned the area, but everything came normal, and he sighed. “We’ll just go to the pharmacy and be on our way.”

The hospital looked very much the same, and she looked around carefully. She wasn’t exactly sure what year this was, but they can’t cross their own timeline so she knew it was sometime after that very first trip. 

They’ve avoided this part of the planet during their visits since that day. There hadn’t been any strange readings or psychic paper messages asking them to go back to these white corridors, and the Doctor had little interest in them. Now, when they stop by, they usually just get chips and watch the sunset on the grass.  


They may snog a little, too. 

They approached the lift, and Rose stopped, staring at the doors carefully. 

“I’m assuming the disinfectant is safe for -” she began, and he frowned. 

“I don’t know, actually,” he said. He looked at her, and let out a breath. “I’ll ask.” 

“No, I just want to grab and go,” she said. “I’ll wait here. Maybe we can get some chips on our way out, stop by that little shop with the green door?” He looked at her, not wanting to let her out of his sight and she just rolled her eyes. “I promise I’ll be safe, go on.” 

“Don’t get lost,” he half- teased and she pushed him into the lift. He grinned as the doors closed. 

She took a deep breath and moved to sit on a bench, watching all the nuns in green like a hawk. Logically, she knew they were most likely just doing their jobs normally without any mass experiments, and her Instincts weren’t giving off any warning signs. It all seemed rather ordinary, even 5 billion years in the future, and she turned around to look out the window, where the space cars were hovering and taking people to their destinations. 

Her eyes trailed the clouds, fluffy and white, and she stood up and moved to the window, watching. It was a view she had seen a dozen times from a slightly different angle up on that hill, and she tilted her head, noticing just how sharp and defined the edges the buildings were for the first time, and looked at all the people walking toward the doors. 

Some of them might be the subspecies, and that thought made her smile. 

She returned to the bench and sat down, and much to her relief, the Doctor walked back out through the lift with a small bag, and she smiled at him. 

“For you,” he said, handing it to her. 

“You’re the one with pockets that are bigger on the inside, mister,” she teased, and he smiled, holding her hand as they walked out of the hospital into the warmth of sunlight, and he handed her a vitamin. She took it, swallowing it dry and his Adam’s apple bobbed, and she just rolled her eyes. “It’s just a pill.” 

“No, it’s not,” he said, and he cupped her cheek, leaning in to kiss her. He put the bag in his pocket and pulled her into a hug, and she smiled against his chest. The embrace lingered a little, and he pulled back with a grin, suddenly boisterous once again. “Come on. Someone wanted chips.” 

She shot him a look of triumph as they walked toward the main part of the city of New New York, in the middle of all the buildings she had been admiring before. It was busy and exciting, as it usually was, and the space cars still hovered above them. She knew exactly where he was taking her, and those green doors that led to the best bowls of salty, vinegary goodness stood before her a few minutes later, and she bounced eagerly. 

He walked out less than five minutes later and handed her a bowl, and just stared at her. 

“What?” she asked with her mouth already full of one, and a faint smile tugged at his cheeks. 

She was perfect. 

“I love you,” he said. She linked her arm through his so she could still use both hands to eat, and they started their way back toward the TARDIS. 

They took a scenic route, just for fun, and they passed through a neighborhood they’d never spent much time in before. They took their time, the Doctor was rambling a little, telling her all about the materials used to build houses and the advanced technology found inside. Truthfully, she didn’t really care very much, but he was excited and that made her happy, and they were laughing and giggling, when suddenly they heard crying. They both stopped and looked around, and saw a little girl of about five hiding between two bushes with her head in between her legs. Rose knelt down in front of her, concerned, but flashed her a smile. 

“Hello,” she said. “Are you alright?” 

The little girl looked up at the sound of her voice and stared at her, and Rose smiled wider, stopping all her tears the same way she did with Cassis and Daphne. The Doctor watched, and the little girl just wiped her eyes and looked at her. 

“I lost my mummy,” she whispered, and Rose gave her a sympathetic look. 

“I did that too when I was about your age. She took me to the park to play with some friends and when I turned around she was missing,” Rose began. “She just wandered a bit. I found her, I bet I could help you find yours, too, if you’d like.” 

The Doctor wanted to make some comment about Jackie wandering off but he wasn’t quick enough, and the little girl’s next words concerned him. 

“Mummy is under the bed.” 

Rose stared at her, and she sat down completely so her bum touched the street, eye level with the little girl. “My name is Rose,” she began. “What’s yours?” 

“Poppy,” she said. The Doctor bit his cheek. 

“Look at that! We’re meant to be friends, you and me,” Rose said. “Both named after flowers.” 

Poppy giggled a little, and she glanced at the Doctor who moved to sit next to Rose. “I’m the Doctor,” he said. “Can you tell us which house is yours, Poppy?” 

The little girl shook her head and started to cry again, and Rose moved to wrap her in a hug, pulling her against her. She started to sing and Poppy stopped crying. It was an old Earth nursery rhyme, one Poppy apparently knew all the words to, and the Doctor stared at his wife with a lump in his throat, his mind going places. 

Rose must’ve known what he was thinking, or maybe she was thinking it too, because the hand not wrapped around Poppy rested in her stomach, and he had to look away. 

Rose stopped her song and smiled at Poppy, who seemed to have eased a little, and she stood up and held her hand out. The little girl took it, and Rose looked at the Doctor, who had pulled himself together and was looking at the houses. “Which way, Poppy?” she asked.

She pointed in a general direction, and they all began to walk, hoping Rose’s instincts might know which house was her’s in case Poppy didn’t or was too emotional to tell them. The street was long, and Rose noticed some kids playing in more apple grass, and she breathed a sigh of relief when it didn’t affect her this time. 

The Doctor was holding her other hand and desperately trying to keep focused and not think about the fact that there will be a day when their child’s hand rests in his as they stand between the two of them, and they ventured further. He realized Rose had been talking to Poppy the entire time, asking her questions and laughing with her, distracting and comforting her, and he looked over and watched. 

She treated the little girl like an equal. There was no coddling, and she wasn’t changing her voice or speaking in codes, she was just...talking to her. He was enamoured by her completely, and he clenched his jaw, thinking what a _fantastic_ mother she will be. 

He could only hope to half as good of a... 

He sniffed, unable to finish the sentence for some reason and was feeling bloody emotional again, and Rose nudged her mind. 

She knew, because of course she did. 

_Just think of all the ways Donna would make fun of you right now. Helps me._

He smirked and chuckled, his eyes glancing over to her. 

_Quite right._

They reached the end of a cul de sac, and Poppy moved to the front porch of the very last house. Rose held her hand and knocked on the door, but Poppy just shook her head. “Mummy is under the bed.” 

“Is someone else maybe home?” Rose asked, and Poppy shook her head. 

“Just me and Mummy,” she said softly. The Doctor was scanning the perimeter of the house and Rose looked at Poppy. 

“What do you mean she’s under the bed?” she asked. Poppy just rocked on feet. 

“The monster took her,” she said, her eyes watering, and suddenly she was crying again. Rose pulled her into a hug and met the Doctor’s gaze from across the porch, and he soniced the front door open, letting them all inside. 

Rose picked Poppy up, and the Doctor flipped the lights on. “What’s your mother’s name?” 

“Mummy,” Poppy said, sniffling. Rose looked around and saw a piece of mail on the table, and she caught the Doctor’s attention. 

“It’s Matilda,” she whispered. The Doctor called, but one answered. Rose looked around the entry hall some more and carried Poppy to the living room and looked there. 

“Which way is your room?” Rose asked. 

“You can’t go there, the monster…” Poppy said, and Rose smiled at her. 

“Hey, look at me,” she murmured. “There’s three of us and one of them.” 

She put Poppy down and held her hand, wanting to comfort her, and she watched the little girl fidget a little. The Doctor moved upstairs to a door with a rainbow on it, assuming it was hers, and Rose followed with Poppy right next to her, who was resisting a little. Rose just looked at the Doctor and she sighed. “How about this?” she said, when Poppy was frozen at the edge of the stairs, terrified to approach her room. “I’ll stay here with you and the Doctor is going to look under your bed, alright?” 

“No, no, you can’t!” she started to shout, shrieking a little. Rose placed her hands on her shoulders. 

“Shhhh, Poppy, shhh,” she said. “Look at me.” 

The Doctor was standing a foot away, once again watching Rose with a sense of awe despite the situation as she got Poppy to calm down and stare at her. 

“You are quite brave, you know that? Coming back here after everything that happened and letting me and the Doctor help you. Only heroes would do that sort of thing. And heroes, Poppy...Heroes save the day. And you, me, and the Doctor, we’re all heroes,” she said. Poppy was staring at her, and Rose took a deep breath. “It’s going to be alright. I promise. He’s going to go in there and find your mum. And you and I are going to make sure the rest of the house is safe. Do you think you can do that with me?” she asked. 

Poppy just stared longer, and Rose swallowed. “Do heroes have superpowers?” 

“Some do,” Rose said. “I do. So do you.” 

“What are your powers?” Poppy asked, and Rose smiled. She made her hands mirror each other in front of her chest and shot a beam of light between them. Poppy wasn’t terrified, not when she thought of it as a superpower, and she grinned, suddenly staring at Rose with wide eyes. 

“What’s my power?” Poppy asked, and Rose smiled. 

“Love,” she whispered. “It’s the most powerful weapon, Poppy, and it is very much a superpower. It can make the meanest of the bad guys fall in an instant. I know because I’ve seen it.” 

The Doctor stopped breathing as he watched. His jaw was clenched and he leaned against the wall, falling impossibly more in love with her and it was rendering him speechless. Rose continued, and he let out a breath. 

“I can tell there is a whole lot of love inside of you. Especially for your mum, and that’s how I know we are going to get her back, but we have to let the Doctor look for her, okay?” she said. Poppy smiled. 

“Mummy says that, too. That love is strong,” she said. Rose nodded. 

“See? She’s a superhero, too,” she said. “Come on, then, let’s go be brave like her and check downstairs. Don’t let go of my hand.” 

Poppy nodded, suddenly a little excited to test her powers, and the Doctor grabbed Rose’s free hand, shaking his head at her. 

“You…” he said, and she just kissed him. 

“Go save the day,” she whispered, and he clenched his jaw as he watched them walk down the stairs. Rose showed Poppy her sonic screwdriver and they scanned the walls and the Doctor closed his eyes. 

The mother of his child. 

He ran his hand over his face to recenter himself, annoyed that he was so emotional but also trying not to hold it against himself too much. They did just find out yesterday, and he soniced the door open and sniffed. The room was dark, and he flipped the lights on and carefully moved to Poppy’s bed, lying on his stomach to get a good look at what was underneath, and all he found was a box. 

It was a music box, he quickly realized, and he looked at the gold dial on the back carefully. He scanned it, and realized there was a high amount of electromagnetic energy. Light waves. He frowned and pulled the box toward him, and he let out a breath. 

He could open it, and risk letting whatever was inside that was creating the energy free. It could be a rift, perhaps, and Matilda was sucked in. Or he could take it to the TARDIS and try to run more tests on it. The ship was far away by this point, and he flipped the box upside down, and traced the edges. He scanned again, and he had a theory. 

Light waves. But inside the box was dark. He put the box down and walked out of the room and ran down the stairs. Rose and Poppy were still scanning some walls and he knelt down next to Poppy. 

“When your mother was taken under the bed, was it dark in the room?” he asked. Poppy nodded. 

“She read me a bedtime story, then turned off the lights and I heard a scream,” she whispered. The Doctor clenched his jaw. 

“Did you turn the lights back on?” he asked. Poppy nodded again, and he grinned at her. 

“You are _brilliant_ , you know that? Absolutely brilliant!” he shouted, and raced back upstairs quickly, stopping halfway and looking at them in disbelief. “Aren’t you coming?” 

Rose rolled her eyes and grabbed Poppy’s hand. “He figured something out. We’ll be okay.” 

Poppy was nervous, but she let Rose pick her up and carry her to the bedroom, staying out in the hall while the Doctor left the lights in the bedroom on, and opened the box. 

A sound like static electricity was heard, and Poppy covered her ears. The Doctor was working quickly and he scanned the inside of the box, closing it and giving all of their ears a break. 

“What is it?” Rose asked. 

“A fury,” he said. “Shadow creatures. They are essentially, well, sentient shadows. Ancient beings, quite, quite ancient. They can’t stand the light, but they thrive in the dark. Feast in the dark, in fact. My guess is one was living in this box for quite a while. When did you get it?” 

Poppy stared at him, and Rose squeezed her hand. “It’s alright. Tell him. When did you get that box?” 

“For my birthday,” she said. 

“When was that?” Rose asked. 

“A few days ago,” she murmured, and the Doctor beamed. 

“HA!” he said, he stood up and began to pace, putting all the pieces together. He was muttering under his breath and Rose watched him. 

“Doctor,” she said, and he turned to her instantly. “Matilda, can you get her out?” 

“No,” the Doctor said, sniffing. “But you can.” 

She smiled, and he set the box in the middle of the room. He moved to Poppy as Rose stepped forward and their eyes met. “When you open the box just give it all you got. You’ll burn the fury, make it quite angry, and everything it’s swallowed will get spit back out.” 

“Poppy, close your eyes,” Rose said. 

The Doctor watched the little girl do just that, and he pulled her to him to help shield her eyes as golden lights poured out of Rose’s hand, much bigger and brighter than the small sample she showed her earlier, and certainly stronger than any lamp they could possibly have tried to use, and he watched. The static sound grew louder and louder, piercing their ears as the fury agonized and screamed, until it stopped and the box spun and closed. 

A woman was lying on the ground in the fetal position, and Rose ran to her. 

“Are you alright?” she asked. The woman was shaking her hands by her face as if she had been screaming and she looked around the room, realizing where she was, and her eyes locked with Rose. 

“Who are you?” she asked. 

“I’m Rose,” she said. “Are you Matilda?” 

The woman nodded, and the Doctor let go of Poppy, watching as she ran to her mother and caught her in a hug. Matilda, stunned, was crying silently and just held her daughter, and Rose stepped back, watching with a smile. The Doctor moved to her and picked up the music box, twisting the gold dial. 

The same song Rose sang earlier played in piano keys and he just smiled and shook his head, rubbing his eye a little with his finger. 

His impossible human. 

She bit her lip and they shared a glance, and he set the music box back on Poppy’s dresser. Matilda hadn’t moved, and the Doctor cleared his throat. “We were walking by and heard Poppy crying. She told us what happened, she was very brave.” 

“Rose said I’m a superhero, Mummy!” she shouted, and Matilda just shook her head, not processing any of this, and stared at them. 

“Who...How…” she tried to say. “Where was I?” 

“Trapped,” Rose said. “We got you out. And that...thing, that was in the box, it’s gone. You’re safe.” 

Matilda still stared, still unable to process, and she just held Poppy. 

“We’ll be going, then,” the Doctor said when no one had spoken in a minute or two, and he slipped his hand into Rose’s. Matilda stood at that point and caught them both in a hug. 

“I don’t understand,” she said, crying. The Doctor shrugged. 

“That box you bought Poppy had a creature from another planet stuck inside. It likes darkness, and it likes to eat. So it, well...sort of ate...you. But Poppy is very smart and Rose and I sort of deal with aliens all the time, so…” he said, and Matilda smiled, her brain working a little now. 

“You’re the Doctor?” she asked. “And Rose Tyler? I’ve heard the stories. What happened at the hospital that day a few years ago. All those people you saved.” 

He just nodded, and she hugged him again. Rose looked at Poppy. 

“See? Love. Quite a superpower,” she said. Poppy hugged her, and Rose smiled. 

“Thank you,” she said. 

“Is there anything I can do to repay you? Anything at all?” Matilda asked a little desperately, and the Doctor just shook his head.  


“No,” he said. “It was our pleasure. Nice to meet you, Poppy.” 

She ran to the Doctor, hugging him too. He was startled, at first, but ultimately wrapped his arms around her and gave her a small squeeze. She beamed at him as she bounced back to Matilda, who scooped her up. “Thank you.” 

Rose just smiled, and she and the Doctor held hands and waved goodbye, noticing the sun was setting as they started their walk back to the TARDIS. 

It was silent for a bit, and the Doctor just looked at her. 

“You’re amazing,” he said. Rose leaned her head on his shoulder, staring up at the sky, and he kissed her forehead. 

“I think that was mostly just instincts, Doctor,” she said, and he just sighed. 

“I don’t,” he said. “The song, yes. But the rest of it...that was all you.” 

She lifted her head to look at him and stopped walking, grabbing his lapel and pulling him to her. She kissed him, and his arms wrapped around her waist tightly. Their lips circled and he smiled as his hand wrapped itself in her hair, and she made a small sound. 

“I love you,” she said. 

“I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short & sweet problem, but wanted to add some action to this one ;)


	3. Once Upon a Time

When they finally reached the TARDIS, Rose collapsed into the passenger seat. The Doctor pulled them into the Vortex and looked at her, making sure she was alright, and she leaned back, closing her eyes. 

“You tired?” he asked softly, and she just nodded. 

“I think this baby eats energy,” she said. “We were only out there for a few hours.” 

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him and kissed the side of her head. “Allons-y,” he whispered, and led her to the bedroom. She didn’t even bother changing into pajamas, she just crawled onto the bed and closed her eyes, and he curled up behind her, spooning her. 

He planted small kisses on her shoulder, pulling the sleeve of her t-shirt up a little so he could press his lips to bare skin, and her breath hitched. “Sleep, love.” 

“Hard to do when you do that,” she whispered, biting her lip. He stopped and resigned himself to laying down behind her, not tired in the slightest, but not in a hurry to move or do anything else. 

She slept for a couple of hours, and he held her, deep in thought. It ran the gamut over the course of the time she was asleep; everything from how spectacular she was with Poppy to how impossible this all still felt, to how much he loved her, to his children on Gallifrey. 

He wasn’t sad, and he wasn’t dwelling. He had mostly come to terms with how those relationships ended, and he had come to accept the guilt that would always accompany their memory. He took a deep breath and remembered, and he sent an apology to the stars, the only thing he could really do at this point, and just allowed himself to be happy. Because he was. 

Impossibly happy. 

When she finally awoke her hair was pressed against her face and her shirt was wrinkled, and she kissed him. 

“Hey, beautiful,” he mumbled, and she flashed him a smile. 

“That’s new,” she hummed, and he kissed her nose. 

“Not really,” he said. “I’ve always known that.” 

She smiled as he kissed her, and he made a small noise when she slid her arms around his neck. They kissed again, and again, his hand on her hips, and she tucked her leg in between his. She felt a heat course through her, and it hit her like a freight train, that state of _want_. He felt it too, and his breath caught in his throat, but she found her desire all consuming and immediate, and every other thought except the feel of his body on hers left her mind completely. 

She was a little...commanding. 

“Doctor?” she asked, panting a little. 

“Hm?” he asked, his lips on her cheek. 

“Take off my clothes,” she said. He smiled and sat up with her, pulling her shirt up over her head. She shivered, and he wrapped his arm around her waist as he massaged her breasts over her bra, making her squirm as he kissed her mouth heatedly, and unclasped the back, letting it fall to the ground. 

She pressed their torsos together and the warmth of her body made him sigh, and she kissed him again. “Tell me what you want, Rose.” 

“Pants, off,” she said, and he stripped her out of them, leaving her in only her knickers, which were showing him just how in the mood she was at the moment and he groaned as he began to kiss her thighs. She bit her lip and arched against the mattress, and she pulled him to her by the hair, eliciting a sound that she could only describe as a growl. 

“What else?” he said, and she realized he liked being told what to do, and she couldn’t deny that in this moment, with the rush of hormones and utter _need_ she was feeling, she was more than happy to oblige. 

“Kiss me,” she said, once again commanding. Her voice was driving him crazy and his mouth was wet against hers, fiery and desperate, and her body grinded against him without her realizing it. “Touch me.”

He felt his Adam’s apple bob at the sensation every command was shooting through his body. He liked her like this. Powerful and insistent and unafraid to tell him what she needed, he slipped his hands beneath the thin layer of fabric still around her hips and circled and rubbed. “More.” 

He watched her, flicking and moving around her, and she erupted. 

“Oh, Rose…” he murmured, his fingers still inside of her, but she recovered quickly and kissed him hard, and continued her commands. 

“Strip.” 

He pulled his suit coat off in a kiss, and once again thought about rethinking his wardrobe when he realized how many damn buttons he had to undo, but she didn’t give him a chance to try before she undid his cuffs and pulled the entire thing over his head, tossing it to the side. 

“There, I saved it,” she whined, and he grinned wolfishly at her as she pulled him into a searing kiss, one that left him dizzy. “I want you.” 

“Yeah?” he asked, “How?” 

She sent him a flurry of memories detailing exactly what she wanted. Him above her, strong and sturdy, and he responded instantly, pressing her against the mattress as he slid his body to her, and cried out at the feel of him. He began to move slowly, watching her be more undone than him for a bit, savoring every sound she made and every thought she sent to him, and she grabbed his hips. 

“Doctor…” she said, and he still stared, his mouth open as he moved with her, unraveling. 

“What do you want?” he asked breathily, and she made a noise that ignited him, sending sensations all through his body. 

“Wanna come,” she said, and he groaned. 

Dirty talk isn’t a thing they do very often. He’s a little uncomfortable with it, and they don’t need to, not when their minds, hearts, and souls are all connected alongside their bodies. When they do engage in it, it’s usually fairly light, a phrase or two, and it's usually in Gallifreyan, but he was realizing it definitely had its perks. She was saying things that included curse words and descriptive imagery, all about how she wanted him to just _take her_ , and he gulped. 

“Please, Doctor, please, need to come,” she screamed. 

She was particularly randy at the moment, and the word left him gaping at her. 

He suddenly wanted nothing but to hear her say more things. 

“How?” he whispered, and she made that same sound. She sent him more memories, and he shook his head. “No. Tell me.” 

“Doctor…” she said, losing patience and squirming as the need and tension built up inside of her. 

“Say it,” he said, and she cried out. “Rose. Tell me.” 

“Fast. Hard. Now, _please,_ ” she said, and he smiled at her. 

She screamed more curse words in English, which left a trail of goosebumps on his back where her nails scratched him. She started listing her desires in Gallifreyan, not realizing she was doing it, and when she prefaced one with his proper name, he lost all control. 

Their minds cascaded, their hearts were incessant, their souls were soaring and they were no longer speaking, just connecting and trying to make it last, but they were both pretty far gone and they felt the other reach their peak, and her name rolled from his mouth like a song as they both came down, and they felt lightheaded.

“Oh, my _God,_ ” she said, and he tried to laugh and couldn’t, his body only able to just lie there and try to remember how air works. 

“Wow,” he eventually said. “Wow.” 

“Bottle these up,” she said seriously, her chest still heaving. “I mean it. The hormones. Bottle them up and save them. That was…” 

“Wow,” he just said again, and she started to laugh. 

“I love you,” she said, and he just nodded, his brain only able to form single words. 

“Love,” he said, and he gave her a silly smile, finally finding the ability to roll over and look at her. “Love you.” 

She brushed his hair back and he just stared at her. Her cheeks were bright pink and her body was covered in sweat, and he just smiled, gold light from the hallway somehow spilling onto her. 

“I very much enjoyed that,” he said with a small smile, and she rubbed her lips together. 

“You and me both,” she said, and he just looked at her. 

This was the mother of his child. 

“Come here,” he said, and he pulled her to him, holding her close to his sticky body. She didn’t mind at all, his Christmas scent still somehow as crisp as ever as it filled her lungs. Warm cinnamon and cloves and a hint of apple spice. 

And sex. 

Realization suddenly hit him, and he tensed against her. She pulled back, giving him a look, and he clenched his jaw. 

“The Weeping Angels. You were pregnant,” he said. Her eyes locked with his, and she slid her hand right between his hearts, a double pulse beating on either side. 

“Yeah, I was pregnant last time we saw my mum, too. And on Plutoop. And on the Harpoon ship, it’s okay,” she said. He just stared at her. 

“Right, but those don’t...they…” he said, but he broke off, trying to put his words together. 

Maybe he was overthinking it, but the knowledge that they saved their forever _and_ their child that day was doing something to him. He was thinking. His Time Lord instincts may not be quite like Rose’s, but he knew _time_ and the _timing_ of that meeting suddenly felt too calculated. It felt like a test the universe sent them. 

Her egg would barely have been fertilized, but she _was_ pregnant, and he just… 

Oh, he wasn’t overthinking at all. 

He started to smile. He had lived long enough, loved her hard enough, nearly lost her enough, and understood time well enough to know that that meeting was a fixed point. The timelines could have split, but he kept a level head and didn’t listen to that devil on his shoulder, and he made the right choice. He held onto both of them. 

They were finishing what they started. 

He wasn’t breathing, and he knew she heard every thought when she suddenly sobbed, and he just closed his eyes, her body still tucked against his. “So much damn hope.” 

She smiled, and tilted her head to look at him, remembering their very first trip to the villa. “Yeah,” she whispered, and let out a shaky breath. 

“I really did mean what I said earlier. You were amazing today, Rose,” he said softly. 

“Thanks,” she murmured and he felt his throat tighten. 

“I mean it,” he said. She stared at him, and he wanted to say more. He wanted to tell her what a wonderful mother he knew she would be, the same thoughts that had been brewing in his mind and in his hearts all afternoon, but he knew he’d probably cry so he just kissed her forehead and watched as she smiled, and then pulled away to clean up, and he ran his hands through his hair. 

He joined her in the shower. It was playful with a few flirtatious smiles, but he mostly tried to make her laugh and made stupid jokes, and they had another fairly domestic night in. They ate, they watched some telly, and she fell asleep again while he was tucked under the covers reading his journal for the hundredth time, trying to see what things he might show...well… 

He sniffed and flipped to the back of the book and found Rose’s note. He smiled a little to himself and read it, and he looked over at her fast asleep next to him. He returned to the journal and looked at all the crazy inventions he had over the years with a shake of his head, closing it and setting it back on the table. He still wasn’t tired, but he didn’t want to leave her side, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. 

He felt silly, doing what he was about to do, but Rose was asleep and he really didn’t want to do this while she was awake. She probably wouldn’t tease him, knowing her she’d encourage him with a smile, but he felt more comfortable doing it this way, at least at first, and he scooted down to her belly and moved his pillow next to it, resting his head beside her as he looked up at the ceiling. 

“Hello,” he said, “We haven’t really met. I know you’re getting to know Rose pretty well, but...well…” 

He broke off and sighed, shaking his head. “I just...Rose is…” 

Words he wanted to say still felt so impossible, he couldn’t bring himself to say them. He just cleared his throat quietly and traced the orbs above his head. 

“How about a bedtime story?” he said instead. “I like those. Once upon a time, there was a princess. And she lived in this Kingdom with her mother, your grandmother, who, well...she’ll probably spoil you at first, but I have a feeling we might have loads of fun teasing her a bit in a few years.” 

He stopped talking, his hearts beating rapidly. 

“Anyway...the princess met this man. A traveler. And she changed his life. Completely, just...upended it. He started to believe in things he thought he’d forgotten and he saw joy in a world where he thought none existed. She took his hand and ran with him and she saved him. A lost soul, he was. That’s what I...he, realized.” 

He cleared his throat and blinked a few times. 

“So the princess and this traveler, they see a bit of the universe for a few months. And they fall in love. But they’re both pretty stubborn and he’s a right idiot and pretends he isn't, but even the Daleks saw it so, really...he was just being an idiot. And then she does the impossible. She defies everything, and they both changed a little as a result. And then, well…” 

He knew she was awake by now, but she hadn’t looked up or shifted, and he kind of wanted her to hear the rest by this point, so he continued. 

“The princess and the traveler fall more in love, impossibly so, enough so that he is willing to break apart the fabric of the universe to get her back after she’s lost. But it turns out...It turns out that the universe was on their side, and destiny was at play, and the traveler’s parents were a little sneaky, and the princess and the traveler found each other again, and eventually…” 

His hand brushed up against her stomach and she felt the butterflies flutter, and he kissed her skin. “Eventually there came you.” 

He didn’t say more, and he just laid next to her stomach for a moment until she finally sat up and looked at him, and she reached her hand out. He took it and she helped him sit up so they faced each other, and she hugged him. 

Her arms wrapped under his and he held her around her shoulders, burying his face in the crook of her neck. It was another lingering embrace, and she kissed him as she pulled away, slow, soft, and gentle. 

“I like that story,” she murmured, and he smiled. 

“Me too,” he whispered. She laid back down and he nestled up beside her. She was looking at him, and rubbed her lips together. 

“Mum might slap you,” she said. “When she knows you got me pregnant.”  


“We’re married,” he said. 

“Still might slap you,” she said, sort of teasing. He laughed a little and just rolled his eyes, and he let out a deep breath. 

“Worth it,” he said, and she laughed, too. “We should tell them about Rassilon.” Rose stiffened, and he looked at her. “They’re going to ask.” 

“I...I know,” she whispered. “I just don’t even know how to begin that conversation.” 

“All you can do is say it, I s’pose,” he murmured, and she turned to lay on her back, looking at the same orbs he had been earlier. 

“I meant…” she said, breaking off and sighing. “It’s going to be really hard. And once I say it, it makes it...I haven’t allowed myself the time to process that I’m going to watch them...All of them…” 

The Doctor’s entire body tensed, knowing exactly what she meant. He’d lived through that feeling more times than he cares to remember, and never with humans he loved quite as much as the Tyler family and their friends. It was a thought and an inevitable fact that twisted his stomach almost as much as he was sure it was twisting hers, and he just slipped his hand into hers. 

Neither spoke. They didn’t need to. His throat was incredibly tight, and she closed her eyes. 

“I’m sorry, Rose,” he whispered after a while. “That was...selfish of me. We should have talked about that before -” 

“Stop,” she said. “Made my choice and it’s a good choice. It’s not about you.” 

He looked at her, and he tried to swallow the lump in his throat. 

“Do you want to stay on Earth for a while?” he asked. He was trying to be kind, and helpful, and she turned and looked at him in surprise. 

“The universe needs you,” she said. He turned onto his side, brushing her cheek with his thumb. 

“I don’t care,” he said. “I need _you_ and I want to make you happy.” 

She stared at him, and she kissed his wrist, her hand playing with his wedding ring. “We’ll see, yeah?” 

“Okay,” he whispered. She let out a breath, and he looked at her carefully. 

“Can you tell me more of that story? Distract me a little?” she asked, and he felt the lump return as he pulled her to him. 

“Well,” he began, “One day, when they were exploring, the princess and the traveler came across a man named Jack Harness, while the princess was hanging from a barrage balloon…” 

She smiled, realizing what he was doing, as Jack would be around for as long as they would, possibly longer, and she felt her heart skip. It was such a simple gesture, and one that he might not even realize he was doing, but it made her fall madly in love all over again, and she interrupted his story around the part when he bombarded the kids at supper with a kiss. 

“Marry me,” she said. He laughed and pulled away with a smile. 

“Rose, we -” he said, but she shook her head. 

“I mean it. A thousand times you said, do you remember? We’ve done three. Let’s find some planet tomorrow and check off number four. Marry me,” she said. He stared at her, and she was flashing him his favorite smile, nudging him a little with her shoulder. “You gonna leave a girl hanging?” 

“Yes,” he said, smiling at her. “Yes, of course.” 

She smiled and he just shook his head at her, and he continued his story, making Rose laugh when he reminded her that Nancy made fun of his ears, and just before he got to ‘just this once everybody lives’, she was asleep again. 

He sighed, kissing her forehead, and found himself thinking about things that were surprising him, especially considering how _happy_ he was, and then he remembered. His brain is much too large and old habits are hard to break, and Rose bringing up losing her family gave him an excuse to find that dread that tends to trickle in when it senses he’s forgotten about it. 

It was the same way with the Master nearly a year ago and it was now the same way with his family. In every sense of the word. The ones he lost, the ones he sacrificed, and the ones he will lose. 

The ones he’s gained rested between his arms, and that thought stopped him from completely spiraling. 

When he finally did sleep, much to his vexation, he dreamed of the war.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for sticking it out and reading! I know I say this a lot, but each story in these "forever with you" series are like an episode connecting to a larger plot, and all will be revealed eventually. Comments, kudos, etc always welcomed and hope you all are well!


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